PearlsOnly uses the AAAA Pearl Quality Grading System to grade its Gold South Sea Pearls. All Gold South Sea pearls are graded and assigned a grade on these following value factors:

• Luster of the pearl
• Surface of the pearl
• Shape of the pearl
• Color Intensity of the pearl

Using the AAAA Pearl Quality Grading System the Overall Grade offers HIGHEST value to our customers since some value factors can be higher than the overall grade.

Just like in the example on the right, the pearl necklace has AAAA Luster and AAAA Shape however it is still assigned just a grade of AA because the Surface is AA.

Luster or shine is the indication of how well the pearl reflects the like. A good way to think of luster is like a mirror. It is a very import value factor for grading pearls.

Surface describes any divots, small natural scratches and other pearl imperfections on the body of the pearl.

Pearls grow in various shapes, from baroque to perfectly round, and anywhere in between. The roundness of the pearl can be very small, however those pearls reaching the perfect roundness, also command the premium price.

Golden South Sea value factor is its beautiful golden color. The more 'golden' the color the higher the value of the pearl. In South Sea golden pearls the intensity is nearly as important a value factor as the luster. The intensity of the gold color has an extreme impact on the price of the pearl - with the very intense gold pearls being valued many times of that of lesser color intensity.